A local district nurse has been awarded a top prize by the Queen’s Nursing Institute.

Leigh Hewitt, District Nurse and Clinical Educator at East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH), has been awarded the Philip Goodeve-Docker Memorial Prize by the Queen’s Nursing Institute. The £50 prize and certificate is offered to the most outstanding district nursing students in every university in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Alongside his current role, Leigh studied for the Specialist Practice District Nursing degree course at the University of Suffolk. With his work recognised as being “exceptional”, he was unanimously voted by the region’s Practice Mentor Forum as the top performing student in his cohort, eligible for the prestigious award.

Leigh has worked for ECCH since its inception in 2011, following a background of working within primary care as a community staff nurse, as well as time spent in acute healthcare settings. His current role at the social enterprise sees him work as both a Clinical Educator and District Nurse across ECCH’s Primary Care Home teams, four ‘hubs’ set up by ECCH in April 2019 to support GP practices in the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area.

Speaking of his success, Leigh said: “I was very surprised but humbled to be awarded the Philip Goodeve-Docker Memorial Prize as a district nursing student. This is definitely a highlight of my career; it’s an honour to be recognised by the Queen’s Nursing Institute.”

ECCH’s Executive Director of Operations, Adele Madin commented: “We are incredibly proud of Leigh for achieving this well-deserved award. His level of commitment to learning, leadership and high standards of patient care shows that he truly embodies the values of being an exceptional District Nurse. He’s a credit to both his ECCH colleagues and patients alike.”